Regattas are built on the dedicated and generous sponsorship of our many friends, vendors and sailing enthusiasts. Each edition of Scowlines, will feature our solid supporters. A full up-to-date listing is on the ILYA website. This list will grow as we near our August 19-23 event. Please support, patronize and thank our early sponsors. There are more early sponsors who will be included with their descriptions of services in the next edition.

At the Lake

At The Lake magazine is a quarterly periodical dedicated to the cultures, traditions, history and personalities of southeastern Wisconsin. Now in its 18th year of publication, At The Lake serves as a much needed full-color advertising tool for Lake Geneva area businesses. The magazine is distributed free of charge at area hotels, restaurants, attractions and shops, and is also available via paid subscription.

Take a photographic tour of carefully cultivated gardens. View the beautiful interiors of lakefront homes. Page through for the latest home décor and lake-themed accessories. Find all of this in an annual home and garden lookbook from the publishers of At The Lake magazine. Lakeshore Living: Ideas and Inspiration for your Lake Geneva Home is published annually and mailed to lakefront homeowners in the Geneva Lakes area and surrounding communities. A select number of copies are also available at each advertiser showroom.

Briohn

Briohn is a Design/Build Commercial General Contractor with an Architectural group in-house. We work with business owners throughout the Midwest on new construction and renovations of industrial, retail, office, healthcare, hospitality and recreational projects.

Harken, Inc. is a leading manufacturer and marketer of quality sailboat hardware and accessories. Our gear has dominated such events as the America's Cup and Olympics. Our blocks, travelers, furling systems and winches can be found aboard everything from the smallest dinghies to the largest megayachts and cruisers.

Headquartered in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, Harken manufactures in the USA and Italy. Its network includes offices in 48 countries, with group offices in Australia, France, Italy, New Zealand, Poland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the United States (Rhode Island, California, and Florida).

Browne+Browne

Founded in 1987, Browne+Browne Marketing-Minneapolis has built its reputation with leading brands as an Integrated Media and Event Marketing Provider, focused on media placement, event marketing and sponsorship solutions for sports properties, franchise, multi-unit and dealer based companies. Media buys integrate across all relevant points of prospect contact with the brand, using local market knowledge to best answer the call to drive sales and store traffic. Our speciality in sports and sailing event sponsorship development, management and execution brings data-driven research, strategic planning and publicity that creates entertaining, informative, educational and interactive events that generate activation and sales for sponsors and revenue for client. Our clients include Dodge, Jeep, Polaris ATV and Snowmobile, Indian Motorcycle, Victory Motorcycles, Nestle Purina, Wells Fargo, among others.

Fischer Fine Home Building

Fischer Fine Home Building Inc. has been creating outstanding homes for the families of Geneva Lake for over 25 years. Lake Geneva, Wisconsin 262-248-8989 www.finehome.com

Lake Geneva Presents Title to Robert Pegel

On February 14, 2015, in a unanimous decision, the Lake Geneva Yacht Club Board of Directors named Robert E. Pegel Race Officer Emeritus. The event marks Bob's retirement from decades of committee work at the Yacht Club and the Geneva Lake Sailing School.

"Bob's contributions in a number of different capacities over the years have been invaluable to our club and to the sport of sailing. We are particularly fortunate for his dedication and expertise in race management, both at our club and at a national level. It is an honor to present him with this title," said LGYC Commodore F. Terrence Blanchard, who presented the Pegels with a copy of the Board Resolution, which listed many of Bob's contributions during his 60 years of membership.

This is the first time that the Lake Geneva Yacht Club has awarded this title.

Resolution of Appreciation to Robert Edward Pegel

The Officers and Directors of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club do hereby express their appreciation to Robert E. Pegel upon the occasion of his retirement from his volunteer activities. Whereas, Robert E. Pegel joined the Yacht Club in 1955 and has served for decades as a member of the Race Committee, Regatta Committee, and Race Committee Associates; as Principal Race Officer and Senior Race Officer; as a member of the Scoring Committee, Class M Blue Chip Regatta Committee, Judges Committee, and House, Grounds, and Waterfront Committee; as Associate, Chief, and Senior Judge; as member and chair of the Trophy Committee and the History and Archives Committee; and as Associate Chief Race OfficerEquipment, responsible for support boats, personnel, and the welfare of Flagship II from her construction in 1977 through the 2014 racing season; and Whereas, Robert E. Pegel has received each of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club service awards: the Dr. and Mrs. Will F. Lyon Trophy for Race Committee Service (in 1968, 1977, 1996, and 2001); the Sherman Trophy for Outstanding Service, Dedication, and Loyalty (in 2009); and, most recently, the Marie Kramp Award for Outstanding Service (in 2014); and Whereas, Robert E. Pegel served the Geneva Lake Sailing School as President two times and as a member of its Board of Directors for two decades; and Whereas, Robert E. Pegel's service to fellow sailors includes many years as the Inland Lake Yachting Association delegate to the North American Yacht Racing Union and the United States Yacht Racing Union, as member and chair of the USYRU and National Championship Events Committee, as chair of the US Singlehanded Championship, as member of the Class Committee (Class X), as Associate Appeals Committee member, as chair of the Race Management Committee, and as ILYA Recognized Race Officer and Judge, who in 2003 was the recipient of the Bilge Puller's Cannon "to recognize an outstanding volunteer from the ILYA's race management corps"; and Whereas, Robert E. Pegel was a United States Yacht Racing Union and US Sailing Association Senior Race Officer and Certified Judge, who in 2007 was named Judge Emeritus "in recognition of long and distinguished service to the Judges Program, to race management, and the sport"; now, therefore, be it Resolved, We hereby record our gratitude to Robert E. Pegel for his many contributions, and we bestow upon him the title of Race Officer Emeritus. Upon motion duly made and seconded, the foregoing resolution is adopted on February 14, 2015, by the Board of Directors to be read into the minutes and thus become part of the permanent record of the Lake Geneva Yacht Club.

Chapman Petersen Travels to Palamos

Spain for Petersens

Lake Geneva Optimist sailor Chapman Petersen competed with 500+ sailors February 12-15th. Chapman finished 170th in the Nations Cup with sailors from around the world.

Mary Ann Ward Accepts New Position in Seattle

Former Scow Sailor

Mary Ann Ward is no stranger to our ILYA area. M & M Sailing led the Melges 17 fleet in its early days. Mary Ann is most familiar with many of our southern sailors from her Eustis days and loves the MC fleet, especially in the winter FL sailing months. She returned last year as keynote speaker at the 1st Women's/Girls' Clinic. Congratulations to Seattle and watch out! Mary Ann is a dynamo in all aspects of her life and, fortunately, has focused her energies for sailing.

Sail Sand Point, a 501(c)(3) non-profit community boating center in Seattle, is proud to introduce Mary Anne Ward as its new Executive Director. She comes to Sail Sand Point from Chicago where she was the Event Director at Chicago Match Race Center, an organization that hosts and supports world-class race events. Previously she was the Regatta Chairman at the Lake Eustis Sailing Club, a non-profit community sailing center in Florida. An experienced entrepreneur, Mary Anne successfully founded and sold two companies previous to working in the sailing world.

As the only woman skipper to win a Bacardi Race Week and the skipper and owner of the M&M Racing Team, Mary Anne is a respected role model for women in the sailing community, a motivating mentor for racers, and an empowering public speaker for youth. Her enthusiasm for teaching others how to sail and encouraging people to take on challenges make her an inspiring fit for Sail Sand Point.

At Sail Sand Point the key mission is to provide water access for people of all ages and abilities and to create a vibrant community of boaters. This is achieved through a scholarship program, community outreach events, and sailing opportunities for people who have disabilities. Youth summer camps, adult lessons and race nights make Sail Sand Point a place where everyone can get involved.

"Sail Sand Point is one of the best kept secrets in Seattle that shouldn't be a secret anymore," states Mary Anne. "The community spirit is what makes Sail Sand Point unique from other sailing opportunities in Seattle." As the new Executive Director at Sail Sand Point, Mary Anne's broad focus is to support the great community that exists through its programs. She says, "The fact that we can open the world of sailing to people of all ages and abilities makes Sail Sand Point integral to the sailing community in Seattle. I am proud to be part of Sail Sand Point because of the dedication we have to helping everyone in our community become successful sailors."

50th!!! 50 Years of E Scow Championships

Big Plans - Lots of returning champs and memories

Pewaukee is so excited to celebrate 50 years of the E Blue Chip championship. Enjoy or submit memories of tales from this grand event enjoyed by the nation's best for 50 years.

Here is our first installment by Judd Hirschberg, Chicago, ILE Blue Chip...It's been a lot of years since I've sailed competitively. Over the years I've had the pleasure to sail with pretty much everybody and enjoyed more than my share of a few good rides. After calling Zenda, shaking the cobwebs from Todd Haines to John Gluek, here are the stats as far back as we can remember.

The first and last 7 race series for many a year was sailed under Meyer's auspices in 1974. 40-degree temperatures with gusting West winds clocked at the Milwaukee airport in the 50's, made for a wet bone-chilling event. Just to put it into context, the boats were wood; the spinnakers big round balls and the life preservers were neck chokers. This was classic blue chip weather. It was blowing dogs off chains. Chute sets were a one off affair with no Spinnaker jibing unless you wanted to take an immediate swim. You lined up for one shot down the lake for a wild ride and then ripped the chute down to man-age a jibe for the leeward mark.

This era was pre-foul weather gear! How cold was it? I walked out onto the pier @ 9:00 A.M. chomping on the requisite Pewaukee long john to watch Brad Robinson chipping the ice off his perfectly coiledpainter. It took all the participants decades to forget that cold. The Blue Chip went back to a 5 race event to allow for the more refined social aspects of being at PYC.

Winner #1 - Bill Allen with Charlie Harrett and myself sailing a remark-ably fast lopsided Johnson in 1982. To add a little perspective, Harry & Hans were crewing for Buddy and neither had their drivers license.

Winner #2 - 1986-1992 I had the pleasure of crewing for Harry &Hans. Sitting upfront, my ears were serenaded to a nonstop symphony of clicking Harken clam cleats and ratchets. The boat was continually worked. Harry III won every race at an E-Blue Chip during this run with Hans and I as crew. It was either the 1986 or the 1987 Blue chip.

Winner #3 - Andy Burdick with Harry III and Jeff Ecklund in 1996.

Winner #4 - HM IV, with HM III and Jim Gluek. For all the naysayers that try to diminish this achievement because his father was on board, my response is nonsense. Yes, flawless crew work helps as well as Dad keeping you in the right spots, however you still have to keep the boat moving fast forward which requires exemplary boat handling skills and concentration. Being successful on Pewaukee requires situationalawareness. You have to keep your head out of the boat to stay in transition through the shifts. Harry IV started clean and led around every pin in every race I watched! Wow, was it fun to watch! Nobody was holding his mainsheet or steering his yacht. You could see his mainsheet work from the other side of the lake. It was all him. His boat handling abilities at age 13 are currently on par with his father when he was in his late 20's and far exceeds those of us who have come before. There were no participants that exhibited equal boat handling skills despite some teams sailing together for decades. No participant ever came close to challenging him in a race, which included two previous Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. He was the only one on the racecourse and he sailed around all by himself emulating Buddy "Start First and Increase Your lead". For anyone who witnessed it to think otherwise, I'd say you've an ocular impairment. No sailor in the past40 years has Father or Son's innate boat handling skills. Politics being what they are, Harry III is the Rodney Dangerfield of the Yachting world. "He gets no respect." Something tells me HM IV will not be overlooked as long as he keeps having fun.Judd Hirschberg

Who should teach sailing?

Leaders!

Hiring instructors is not an easy task. It often prods sailing school boards to review their missions, consider their access to candidates and assess the health of their clubs.

The larger programs, like Lake Geneva or other community sail programs, realize early on - great racing programs begin with great learn to sail programs. Teach the basics properly and you develop success, ensure safety and create lifelong sailors.

Bottom line - pick fine individuals first who will be good role models for your students. Here are some wise words from Joe Kutschenreuter, Director at Lake Geneva:

As you know we hire ~15 full time instructors for the summer and are always looking to expand the program. I think most lakes only hire a few (2-5) instructors for the summer and target the top level "Racing" instructors. The GLSS is unique in that we offer a lot of beginning - intermediate level learn to sail camps where often the best instructor isn't the best racer. I think a lot of young sailors out there aging out of X boats etc. don't consider becoming an instructor because they weren't a top finisher in races and regattas, when in fact they're often the best instructors! I think it would be nice for us (the GLSS) and for the sailing community to keep some of these sailors/instructors involved and let them know that there are instructor opportunities outside of their local area.

So consider interviewing that great sailor who is just who you want to be near your young sailors. Additionally, if you want someone to bounce off ideas, need suggestions of ideas that have been successful in differing types of clubs, be sure and contact the ILYA. Our class committees are ommitted to scow sailing and youth initiatives that create healthy fleets.

1) reach out to your local resources in the ILYA

2) hire your instructors and

3) send them to a US Sailing certification course.

Happy youth sailing in 2015!

Sailing School Instructors - Training and jobs

US Sailing Certification Courses

Want to learn how to teach sailing? US Sailing provides top instruction in areas of safety, sportsmanship, drills on land and water, discipline, etc. The three-day courses on Lake Geneva:

Focuses on developing knowledge and skill in teaching sail theory, sail controls, introductory management skills, spinnaker and trapeze use (and instruction) and powerboat operation for emergency situations. Safety awareness is a major component of this course, with instruction on how to address capsize recovery, or prevent entrapment while operating a powerboat.

Provides coaches with information on how to effectively develop performance boat handling and racing skills and instill in athletes the importance of ethical behavior and sportsmanship in the sport of sailing. Topics include race management procedures, team management and logistics and drills.

Safety Manual for Youth Programs

Check This Out

An excerpt of a new safety manual was featured in the US Sailing e-newsletter. It is well-worth a read.

Gowrie Group and The Burgee Program are excited to announce the release of a revised and updated version of the . The new manual includes -

Steve Woldum has forwarded the names of his new class of high school sailors to the subscription rolls of Scowlines. This publication is open to anyone interested in the promotion of scow and sailing in our region. So submit a list of your club's sailors or individually subscribe or forward issues of Scowlines.

If you have news from your program, submit info to Jim Smith, executive secretary of the ILYA, or the editor of Scowlines.

Wisconsin MC Championship

This year's regatta is looking for a home. Labelle had offered to host it but since they are hosting the WYA X Championships they have decided not to host. There is no set date for this year's event. Part of the problem this year is that the MC Nationals will be held on Pewaukee June 26th thru the 28th. The ILYA Invitational will be held on Nagawicka on July 10th thru the 12th. Finally the ILYA Championship will be held on Lake Geneva on August 20th thru the 23rd.

If anyone is interested in hosting this year's event please contact Rick Trester at . The first club that comes forward will get the regatta. If there is not any interest in hosting this event we can let it drop for 2015.

Why wait? Renew your ILYA dues now.

Or join with your regatta registration

Online renewal makes this easy. While regatta registrations are not posted yet - well, we still are all ICE yet - you can choose to breakup your sailing expenses or wait until you commit to all our great events. Look on the left for the Join Us option.